Richland Parish, Louisiana

Richland Parish, Louisiana
250px Richland Parish Courthouse in Rayville
Location in the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana's location in the U.S.
Founded	September 29, 2020
Named for	Rich fertile land
Seat	Rayville
Largest town	Rayville
Area
• Total	565 sq mi (1,463 km2)
• Land	559 sq mi (1,448 km2)
• Water	5.5 sq mi (14 km2), 1.0%
Population
• (2010)	20,725
• Density	37/sq mi (14/km²)
Congressional district	5th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Richland Parish (French: Paroisse de Richland) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 20,725. The parish seat is Rayville. The parish was founded in 1868.

History

Richland Parish is home to the first parishwide public library in the State of Louisiana. The library was built in 1925 by the Lambda Kappa Club of Rayville. R.R. Rhymes donated the original building in memory of his wife, Nonnie Roark Rhymes. In 2008, Governor Bobby Jindal appointed Bibb Ingram, a granddaughter to Nonnie Rhymes, as a member of the Louisiana State Library Board.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of 565 square miles (1,460 km²), of which 559 square miles (1,450 km²) is land and 5.5 square miles (14 km²) (1.0%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 20
• U.S. Highway 80
• Louisiana Highway 15
• Louisiana Highway 17
• 20px Louisiana Highway 585

Adjacent parishes

• Morehouse Parish (north)
• West Carroll Parish (northeast)
• East Carroll Parish (northeast)
• Madison Parish (east)
• Franklin Parish (southeast)
• Caldwell Parish (southwest)
• Ouachita Parish (west)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	5,110		—
1880	8,440		65.2%
1890	10,230		21.2%
1900	11,116		8.7%
1910	15,769		41.9%
1920	20,860		32.3%
1930	26,374		26.4%
1940	28,829		9.3%
1950	26,672		−7.5%
1960	23,824		−10.7%
1970	21,774		−8.6%
1980	22,187		1.9%
1990	20,629		−7.0%
2000	20,981		1.7%
2010	20,725		−1.2%
Est. 2014	20,740		0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,981 people, 7,490 households, and 5,482 families residing in the parish. The population density was 38 people per square mile (15/km²). There were 8,335 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the parish was 60.96% White, 38.01% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. 1.08% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,490 households out of which 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.20% were married couples living together, 18.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.80% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the parish the population was spread out with 27.30% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.30 males.

The median income for a household in the parish was $23,668, and the median income for a family was $29,075. Males had a median income of $28,471 versus $18,587 for females. The per capita income for the parish was $12,479. About 23.10% of families and 27.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.50% of those under age 18 and 20.90% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools in Richland Parish are operated by the Richland Parish School Board.

Communities

File:Map of Richland Parish Louisiana With Municipal Labels.PNG

Map of Richland Parish, Louisiana With Municipal Labels

• Delhi
• Mangham
• Rayville (parish seat)
• Start

Notable people

• Jamar Adcock, a politician and banker in Monroe, born in Richland Parish
• Benny Gay Christian, state representative for Richland Parish, 1964 to 1974
• Elvin Hayes, NBA Hall of Fame basketball player, born in Rayville
• Fred W. Jones, Jr., city, district, and state court judge, born in Rayville; resided in Ruston, Louisiana
• Ralph E. King, Winnsboro physician who represented Richland Parish in the Louisiana State Senate from 1944 to 1952 and again from 1956 to 1960
• Ernie Ladd, a football player/professional wrestler, born in Rayville
• Charles McConnell, politician in Springhill, Louisiana; a native of Richland Parish
• Keith Munyan, Jr., commercial photographer in North Hollywood, California
• Tim McGraw, Country musician, born in Richland Parish
• Darryl Riser, editor of the Delhi Dispatch and Richland Beacon-News and, formerly, the Richland Journal.
• Francis C. Thompson served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1975 until 2008; since in the Louisiana State Senate
• Arlene Howell, Miss Louisiana USA 1958, Miss USA 1958

Gallery

• 

  Former Rayville High School, operated by the Richland Parish School Board and originally designed by the Shreveport architect Edward F. Neild, was renovated into an apartment complex.

• Holly Ridge High School, Holly Ridge, LA IMG 0178.JPG

  Holly Ridge High School in Holly Ridge in rural Richland Parish

• 

  Rhymes Memorial Library in Rayville is the first parishwide public library in Louisiana.

• Richland Parish, LA, Detention Center IMG 0350.JPG

  Richland Parish Detention Center near Alto, Louisiana

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Richland Parish, Louisiana

External links

• Richland Parish Assessor's Office